A/N - Here we go! Re-upload of the (improved) original chapter! In this chapter we are introduced to a new character called old lady Sakura. She wasn't in the original story but I decided to add her in just to give Shiroi someone close to in the town, making the relationship between her and the town more real. Shiroi's 'new' character is more apparent, as she acts differently that last time - only a little though. Please enjoy!
*Disclaimer* I do not, nor will I ever, own one piece, any of the characters or anything. I only own my OC's and the made up places and e.t.c. I apologise if any of this material offends anyone. I assure you I didn't mean it to offend in any way, shape or form. This story may contain some coarse language.
Chapter 2 - Cherry blossoms and a bar fight
Old lady Sakura was the owner of the Sakura tea tea shop, a small shop near the centre of town surrounded by beautiful Sakura trees, which were now at the peak of their blossoming. As I approached the little shop I spotted Sakura herself sweeping the front of her shop. "Hello!" I called, raising a hand in greeting and smiling at the elderly lady. Old lady Sakura looked up at me and a smile spread across her wrinkled face. "Oh, Shiroi, how nice to see you," she said, straightening up and patting her lower back. Her hair was the telltale gray of old age and her face, though wrinkled, held a sort of softness to it that invited you in. She wore a long, loose fitting, pink kimono type cloth, decorated with cherry blossom prints in a darker pink. She really did live up to her name. "How has your day been? Would you like some tea?" she asked, softly. "My day's been pretty good so far, better than usual. And, yes, tea would be nice," I said, taking a seat on the front steps and admiring the blossoming trees. Sakura shuffled into the shop then re-appeared a few moments later, carrying a tray with a tea pot and two cups. "I made this batch a few minutes ago. It should still be warm," she said, stiffly sitting down on the steps. I nodded and waited patiently for her to pour the drinks before taking one. "Thank you," I said before taking a sip of the green tea. "You said you've had a good day?" old lady Sakura asked, taking a sip of her own tea. I nodded and took another sip before speaking.
"Yup, I saw some new pirates," I explained plainly. Beside me, Sakura chuckled.
"You say that with boredom, but I'm guessing you're excited on the inside." I turned my head slightly and peered at her from the corner of my eye, smirking at her.
"You know me too well," I said, my smirk turning to a grin. Sakura chuckled again before setting down her cup.
"What are you going to do? Knowing you, it's too rare of an event for you to pass up," she said softly, watching the calming pink blossom sway gently in the breeze. The crowds were still passing by, none of them pausing to admire the trees. These people take the beauty of these trees for granted. Snapping out of my thoughts I turned to the elderly woman. "Hm... I'll probably introduce myself and see what happens," I explain, humming in thought. My thumb nail found its way to my lips again and I began to chew, eyes staring ahead of me in a trance. Old lady Sakura chuckled and rose to her feet stiffly, using the door frame as support. "Well, whatever you do make sure you so it before Tsuyoi."
"Hm?" This snapped me out of my trance, and I turned to the old woman, thumb nail still between teeth and steaming cup still in hand.
"You and I both know what Tsuyoi is like, and I'm guessing that he's not going to take too kindly to them pirates being in town," Sakura explained in her soft, comforting voice. I nodded slowly, taking my thumb from my mouth and setting my cup down on the tray. "You're right," I began, picking up the tray and handing it to her as I stood. "Perhaps I'll go see them now." I turned and began to walk away, in some random direction, hoping to find them. Perhaps I could sniff them out?
Old lady Sakura stood leaning against the doorframe, holding the tray Shiroi had previously handed her. She watched the wolf walk off with a growing sensation of worry and unease spreading through her old bones. "Shiroi, please be careful. Tsuyoi has a temper... and strength to match." On the sakura trees nearby the first blossom fell from its branch and fluttered like a dainty butterfly in the wind, ending up landing in the half drunk cup of tree Shiroi had previously had. It landed soundlessly in the tea, floating on the surface of the drink. Peering down into the cup, old lady Sakura smiled. "Shiroi, you didn't finish your tea."
I found no trace of the straw hats around town so decided to head straight back to the pub Tsuyoi was in. I was silently praying that they wouldn't be there. I really, really, really didn't want something to kick off. I was – as much as I hated to admit it – scared at what Tsuyoi would do to them in a fight. They might be good fighters for all I know, but Tsuyoi was strong, and in his wolf form he was even stronger. I frowned as I approached the pub, walking slowly along the sandy path. As I reached the doors, I took a deep breath then pushed the doors back. The bar was filled with quite a few people, the majority of them being other crew members. Men sat in group around tables, drinking and cheering with each other, getting rowdy and some even drunk already. It smelt strongly of alcohol but also sweat and damp. The poor hygiene of the men could be smelt thickly in the air. I wrinkled my nose and walked further in but a condescending tone cut me off.
"Oi oi, Shiroi! Back finally eh?" I sighed and flattened my ears back even further as I walked into the bar. I was greeted by Tsuyoi's deep voice jeering at me from a booth in the corner. I glanced his way to see him sitting with a smirk plastered on his face, his brown eyes glaring and two girls happily snuggled under his arms. "Yeah, I just took a walk around town," I answered, trying to get as far away from him as possible. I began heading over to the opposite corner of the bar, to where I normally huddled myself. He blew his rusty brown hair out of his eyes as a cocky smirk took a hold of his face. Chuckling, he rolled his eyes at me, "Sheesh, what is it with you and that shitty town? Still helping those pathetic citizens out?" He let out a booming laugh, the two girls giggling along like what he had just said was the funniest thing ever. I bit my lip hard to stop a sassy remark slipping out. "Oh, and I suppose you've been staring at the sea again?" I hesitated halfway across the bar and froze. What he said struck a chord in me. Tsuyoi noticed this and I could feel the maniacal grin spread across his face. "I've told you enough times, we aint going back out to sea. Not now, not ever. So just give up on helping them out and your ridiculous pirate dreams and face reality!" he snorted, his voice growing and sounding somewhat crazed. He relished the feeling of stamping all over my dreams. He rumbled with laughter, joined by the girl's own pig like laughs. I gritted my teeth as his comments stung. My hands bailed into fists and a snarl threatened to rip from my throat. Stalking over to my empty table in the corner, I slumped into a chair. The kind bartender walked over and placed a drink in front of me. He sent me a reassuring smile then quickly retreated to his post behind the bar. I returned the smile with my own weak on, and then seized the cup. I raised the glass and sniffed it, trying to identify the liquid. It was a strange purple- ish colour and smelt like lavender. When I couldn't work out what it was I just shrugged to myself, not fully caring at the moment, and took a deep gulp. I wasn't really sure what it was but it tasted good. It tasted strongly of a concoction of a fizzy soft drink and a strong alcohol. It tingled the back of my tongue and throat as it went down and left me with a strange after taste of lavender.
"Food, food, food, food!" At that moment a chant in the distance reached my ears, causing them to snap towards the doors of the bar. I listened carefully and forgot all about my strange lavender drink. Another, smooth voice reached my ears, "Oi Luffy! Calm down; haven't you already eaten enough this morning?" I knew those voices! My amber eyes widened and I spun my head towards the door so fast I was afraid it was going to snap. "No I'm still hungry!" It was definitely them! It was the – as I had dubbed them – straw hat pirates from earlier. "Of course. Why did I even ask?" My heart rate increased and I regrettably looked toward Tsuyoi. His own rusty brown ears had picked up the voices and had turned towards the door. His sepia orbs slowly narrowed and slid to the door as well. My own eyes widened and my heart rate continued to increase. I feared for what was to come. In my mind, I chanted over and over, please don't come in here! Please don't come in here! But my prayers went unanswered.
The doors swung open to reveal the pirates from town, all five of them. Usopp and Chopper must have still been on the ship. Luffy was at the front of the group and lead the way confidently into the bar. A few men's attention was drawn to them but most of them were too absorbed in their own conversations and drinking games to take much notice. Tsuyoi, however, took full notice of them, even ignoring the two swooning girls who uttered sweet nothings into his ears. I watched on, slightly horrified as Luffy walked to a clear table and took a seat. The rest of the pirates followed, and each took a seat around the circle of wood. The barman put down the glass he was wiping and walked over. "How can I serve you?" he asked nervously. And with good reason too. Watching like a hawk from across the room was a calculating Tsuyoi. "I want meat," was Luffy's simple order. The barman faltered and took a step back.
"E-er ok, anything else?"
"Grog," the green haired swordsman replied. The kind bartender nodded stiffly then all but ran off, leaving to fill the orders. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a cocky grin spread across Tsuyoi's face, replacing the suspicious one as he raised himself from his seat. The two girls beside him feel into the seat and gaped as they watched him stalk towards the pirates. Shit, I screamed mentally. My heart quickened and my hands became clammy. What was he going to do?
"Meat, meat, meat, meat," Luffy chanted, blissfully unaware of the approaching danger. I wanted to shout at them, to scream out that Tsuyoi was behind them, but I found myself holding back. It was like the words were stuck in my throat. I watched as Tsuyoi lurked closer to the unsuspecting boy and his friends. Tsuyoi had zeroed in on his victim – the straw hat wearing boy. When he reached Luffy he tapped him lightly on the shoulder, a sickly sweet smile spreading across his face. Luffy paused mid-chant and turned to look at whoever tapped his shoulder, "Meat, meat, me- huh?" Just as Luffy turned his face was met with a powerful punch, sending him flying into the tables in front, splintering them into many pieces. He then kept going, smashing into the wall and leaving a large dent around his body. My breath caught in my throat as everything in the bar fell deathly silent. I felt my heart nearly stop and my ears fell back in horror. The silence continued for a few seconds before all of the men in the bar spontaneously burst out laughing; all except me and Luffy's friends.
Tsuyoi leaned back, another maniacal grin on his face and rumbled, "Don't you mediocre pirates know that this territory belongs to me? This whole island does!" Tsuyoi roared with laughed, being his cocky and over confident self. His laughter merged with the rest of the bars but it ceased all of a sudden. In a flash, the swordsman had a sword unsheathed and pointing in Tsuyoi's direction, the sharp end aiming threateningly at Tsuyoi's throat. The blonde cook had also stood, ready for battle. Tsuyoi's sepia eyes rolled to the end of the swords before following the blade back to its master. A small chuckled broke from his throat and a twisted smirk wriggled onto his face. "Heh, you guys wanna fight me?" Tsuyoi asked, pooling with confidence. The twisted smirk that was spread across his face was one that made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. "You're just gonna end up like your friend over there." Tsuyoi pointed over to Luffy's fallen body. I followed his outstretched finger to see Luffy slumped to the floor. My eyes widened further and I felt pity for the pirate. My observation of Luffy was interuppted by a high, nasally tone that caused my fear to be trampled over by anger. "Humph, these guys giving you trouble, Tsuyoi-sama?" Oh great. It had to be her didn't it? I looked over to the doors to see Haya standing there, her chocolate coloured hair slightly wavy from the heat. Now the pirates didn't stand a chance.
Let me explain; Haya is second in command, and she's completely infatuated with Tsuyoi. She'd follow him to the ends of the earth and back. She did whatever he asked her two, no matter what the task. It was something that I despised about her, among other things. I was terrified of Tsuyoi, but would still stand up for my beliefs to a certain extent. Haya, however, would roll over for him. He had her trained like some sort of show dog without having to lift a finger. Haya was also something I'm not. She was beautiful; anyone with eyes could see that. Her legs were slender, and her waist curvy. Her hair was a rich chocolate brown, and would sometimes curl down her back, other times perfectly straight. The rich colour of her hair created a beautiful contrast compared to my odd white hair. That was a downside of my 'species'. Whatever colour we were in our wolf form we ended up having the same colour as our hair in our human form. I loathed my white colour and – in the past – had been teased by Haya and others for being such an odd and strange colour. Haya's body was nothing short of perfect, and left me feeling self conscious. I was only as tall as that Luffy boy, while she was a good head taller. Tsuyoi favoured her – as did most men – and she was a good fighter, backing up her second in command position.
Snapping out of my reverie, I turned my head away from Haya and back to Tsuyoi. I summoned up all the courage I could muster and whispered out, "T-Tsuyoi." Why is my voice so weak? Speak louder! I tried again, "T-Tsuyoi." This time it became a little louder, but it was lost amongst Tsuyoi's crazed laughs.
"Ha ha ha! What's the matter Straw hat?" Tsuyoi yelled with a maniacal grin on his face. There was a stirring as Luffy finally sat up and began dusting off his hat. His placed the item back onto his head in its rightful place and turned to look at Tsuyoi. "Hey, what's wrong with your head?" he asked. I immediately slammed my head on the table at his stupidity and the whole bar was lit up in anger. Seriously? He's punched into a wall and that's the first thing out of his mouth? He's not acting affected by it in the least! "They're wolf ears you stupid pirate! We're wolves! How dare you insult Tsuyoi-sama like that!" Haya screamed, her teeth became bared and a low, faint growl escaping her throat. Tsuyoi glanced back at her and raised a large hand. "Haya, cool it. Let me handle these guys, ok? I need the exercise after all," he said cockily, cracking his knuckles. Haya did as she was asked and took a few steps back, her teeth still bared and her eyes narrowed.
I looked at the rest of Luffy's group to see the two girls looked frightened and watched as they rose to their feet and backed away into a corner further from the action. The cook and swordsman still stood ready to fight, their muscles taunt and ready to move. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. All the rest of the crew present in the bar watched carefully with confident smirks on their faces. They were expecting Tsuyoi to win, as was I. Though, I had to admit, Luffy recovered well from being smashed into a wall. Said boy walked over to Tsuyoi a pouted at him, a determined look on his face. Tsuyoi gladly took the challenge.
Swiftly, he swung a fist toward the blonde and swordsman, catching them off guard and knocking both off their feet and smashing into tables. Then he rushed towards Luffy, knocking his hat off, revealing disheveled black hair, then proceeding to grab Luffy's head and smashing it into the bar, splitting the wood, smashing bottles of drink and various plates and creating a horrible mess. I gasped and let out a tiny squeak. I couldn't help but feel a numb sort of pain wash over my face, as I imagined the pain and memories came rushing back from the deep depths of my mind. "Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!" Nami screamed, her face paling. Haya let out a shrill laugh which was soon joined by the whole pub. "Ha ha ha ha! I told you you're no match for me!" Tsuyoi bellowed, bathing in the defeated pirates. I looked at all the blood splattered about the place. The all too familiar smell reached my nose and it automatically wrinkled with disgust. No bodies were moving until I caught Luffy's body beginning to stir. He stiffly got to his knees then forced himself to stand. Sanji and Zoro then slowly got up, ready to defend their crew mates, even though it was all in vain. "Heh, still not had enough?" Tsuyoi grumbled, raising a fist with the intent of dealing a final blow.
Something inside me snapped. Without warning I yelled out and leapt in front of Luffy. "Wait!" My sudden involvement knocked Tsuyoi of guard. His hesitation gave me enough time to protectively and defiantly between the straw hat boy and my powerful captain. "Shiroi, what the hell are you doing?" Tsuyoi growled, lowering his fist, but it remained clenched at his side. "Y-you can't kill them! They didn't do anything! They didn't know that we were here!" I cried, desperate for him to stop. He let out a deep laugh before glaring hard at me. "Are you daring to defend these filthy pirates?" he asked. I didn't answer but kept my amber gaze solely on him. What the hell am I doing? I mentally screamed. I could feel the adrenalin pump furiously around my body and my gut wrench with fear. Tsuyoi's glare twisted to a killing look, like a wolf that had just cornered its prey. "Heh, well we can't have that can we?" he asked rhetorically. Before I could defend myself he grabbed me by my throat, cutting off my air supply and making me choke slightly. I felt my wind pipe be constricted by his huge hand and I struggled feebly to free myself. He slammed be into a wooden pillar built to hold up the bar. I felt the wood splinter, stabbing my back like a thousand hot needles. My head smashed into the core, making my vision go blurry and the world spin. My breathes became short gasps as his grip became tighter for a few seconds before he swung his arm round and threw me into a wall. I yelped like a puppy as I flew through the air and slammed against the wall where I slumped to the floor and curled in more pain then I had expected. I didn't even begin to think that Tsuyoi would take this so aggressively and this reaction was way unexpected. A small part of my mind sighed and said to me, you should have known better. I coughed as my chest heaved, a little blood running down from the corners of my mouth. Tears pricked my eyes and I felt my back become damp with blood, before my vision faded in and out.
"Insolent girl, I've warned you many times. I'm the captain on this crew so you do as I say!" Tsuyoi yelled at my still body. I grunted slightly, trying to move but I was unable. My back burnt too much and my mind struggled to operate fully. "If she's part of you crew," Luffy began. All eyes turned to him, including me and his friends, waiting for him to continue. "Then you wouldn't treat her like that!" he yelled, drawing his fist back, ready to punch Tsuyoi square in the face. Again, before I could comprehend why, I spoke out. "Stop!" I choked out. Luffy froze; his fist inches away from Tsuyoi's snarling face, and looked at me. "Go now. You've got your supplies so go! Leave this cursed island" I gasped, looking at his face. Our eyes met and we stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. My amber eyes bored pleadingly into his coal ones and, unable to stand the tense silence anymore, "What are you waiting for? Go!" I yelled, raising my voice, which hurt me more. Luffy tilted his head downward, tilting his eyes from my direct view. Slowly he began moving towards his fallen hat. Tsuyoi simply watched his every move intently, ready to spring into a fight. Luffy's friends watched him as well, before the swordsman and blonde man seemed to except his silent decision and gathered themselves and mutely followed. I watched through blurry eyes as the blonde shot Tsuyoi a heated glare. "But Luffy, we can't just leave her like that!" Nami cried in a hushed whisper, begging Luffy, which I was able to pick up with my heightened hearing. Luffy didn't reply, but picked up his straw hat, which Tsuyoi had thrown. He dusted it off, placed it on his head, and then turned his eyes to me. His face was un-readable and I simply looked at him, waiting for him to leave. I even sent him a small frown, reinforcing the point. However, at the back of my mind, that small, irritating voice tutted with pity and commented that I must have been a pitiful sight. He stared at me a second longer before tilting his hat down and shadowing his eyes with the brim of his hat and walking out of the bar with his friends. I watched them go and let out a shaky breath, waiting for the hell to follow.
Hours later I staggered out of the bar, limping. I couldn't remember how long I had been there but that was the last thing on my mind. After Luffy and his friends had departed I was left to the mercy of Tsuyoi's rage. Haya, of course, had her input, as always. It was now, as I limped away from the cheering bar and towards the coast, that I noticed it had grown dark and the moon was begging to rise in the evening sky. The sun was just sending its last rays over the western hills, turning the sky a palette of purples, blues and a little reds and yellows. Tsuyoi had 'dismissed' me from his sight, ordering me not to come back for the night.
"If you love the coast so much, then why don't you go spend the night there? Perhaps you won't come back in the morning!"
I continued limping, my body aching and complaining with every step, threatening to collapse. Eventually, I made it to the coast, the moon has risen higher in the sky and gave the sea a milky hue. I stiffly settled onto the sand, the annoying grains sticking to my bloody skin and clothes. I let out a shaky breath and my mouth became a thin line. I mentally began to assess the damage. I was pretty sure some of my ribs were snapped – which didn't surprise me with the force Haya kicked me with. I gave up after a while and instead decided to wallow in self pity, scolding myself mentally. What's wrong with me? I used to be brave, and powerful, and strong, but now? Now I fall apart at the sight – the thought – of Tsuyoi! I'm pathetic! Look at me, I don't have the strength to fight back against Tsuyoi and protect the town! I could barely protect Luffy and his friends!
"Hey." A sudden voice cut through the night air and snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned my head towards the voice, ears alert, and raised my fists, trying to pose some sort of threat. My amber orbs fell upon none other than the straw hat wearing boy, Luffy. I let out a small sigh and backed up slightly in the sand, building a sand barrier between him and me with my feet. "Oh, it's you," I murmured, wrapping my arms around my knees as I brought them to my chest. I kept my eyes glued to him, wondering what he was thinking. Luffy stepped closer. "Come with me. We have a really good doctor, he'll fix you up," Luffy stated, wearing a small grin. I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to reply but he suddenly moved towards me, yanking me up to go. I yelped with pain at the sudden movement and fell to the sand as Luffy quickly let go, startled by my yelp. He chuckled and said, "Oops, sorry about that." He then tried again, this time a lot gentler. I gave a weak smile in gratitude.
"Th-thanks," I said. Luffy observed me, looking me over at my wounds.
"What happened to you?" I heard him mummer whilst frowning. A weak smile graced my lips.
"I guess Tsuyoi got a few lucky hits," I replied, trying to inject some humour. Luffy and I began walking along the coast, Luffy leading me to where I presumed his ship was. "Why did you stand up for us?" he asked randomly, breaking the silence that had fallen across us as we. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes and shrugged, replying nonchalantly, "I guess I didn't like the way Tsuyoi was treating you." This caused Luffy to frown at me. Sighing, I looked back to the sand, kicking it a little as we walked. "He does it a lot. Every time something goes wrong – no matter how little it is – he takes it out on the nearest innocent to him, be it townsfolk or me. The town's people... they didn't ask for any of this..." I trailed off and looked at him out of the corner of my eyes. Luffy's face gained a look of determination and he punched the palm of his hand. "Then how about I go knock some sense into that stupid mutt!" he suddenly burst out yelling. I rolled my eyes, and flicked his forehead. "Ow! What was that for?" he cried, rubbing the spot where I had flicked him, pouting. He complains about getting flicked yet he gets slammed into a wall and doesn't utter a word. "Idiot, do that and I'll end up having to fight you and your crew. It's alpha's orders." He gave me a blank look. Clearly he didn't understand. I sighed and waved my hand. "You know, alpha, leader, captain, whatever you humans call it." Luffy suddenly gasped, his eyes doubling in size and his jaw dropping.
"You're not human!" he cried, shocked beyond belief. I gawked at the boy. Is he really that stupid? I face palmed and growled at his stupidity.
"Of course I'm not! How many humans do you see walking round with ears and a tail?" I yelled back. This boy was unbelievable. How he made it through life I don't know. Luffy, again, gaped and gasped out, "Whoa! Sugoi!" Stars appeared in his eyes as he stared at me in wonder. He reached out and prodded my ears, causing them to flick. Luffy laughed at them and proceeded to poke them again. I sighed at him, but couldn't stop a small smile come to my lips. "You know you're such an idiot," I said, smiling at him. He grinned goofily then grabbed my wrist, pulling me faster along the beach.